Ten local parks participating in the kid-friendly program

Four-year-old Ethan Durrant walks across playground equipment at Elgin Park on Monday. Elgin Park is one of 10 Moose Jaw parks that will be home to the city's playground program for six weeks this summer.

Ten of those playgrounds, including Elgin Park, Hillcrest Park and Optimist Park, will once again play host to hundreds of kids climbing monkey bars, flying off swings and playing versions of tag this summer as part of the City of Moose Jaw’s Playground Program.

The six-week program, which is slated to begin July 7, will also feature other fun activities for kids.

“It's a fun place for kids to hang out in the summer time and it's for six weeks and it's all about playing games, singing songs, reading stories, making arts and crafts and a whole bunch more,” explained Nicole Walchuk, recreation program supervisor with the city’s parks and recreation department.

Kids six to 12 years of age are encouraged to participate in the program at one of their local parks. Younger kids can also participate in the program, but an adult must accompany them.

Lasting weekdays from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m., the program is free, but parents are required to register their kids the first day they attend.

“It's a drop-in program, so the kids don't necessarily have to come every day, but we'd love them to,” said Walchuk.

According to Walchuk, total attendance numbers surpassed 8,500 last summer. She said she would love to see that number reach 10,000 this summer.

Regardless of the number of kids that participate in the program, Walchuk is looking for more volunteers.

“We’re always looking for volunteers, especially for our grand finale,” she said. “So if there are parents or other members of the community that want to help out, it's a lot of fun, but a lot of work to put it on.”

The grand finale takes place at Elgin Park on Aug. 14 and is expected to have a carnival-like atmosphere.

Nathan Liewicki can be reached at 306-691-1256 or follow him on Twitter @liewicks

Four-year-old Ethan Durrant walks across playground equipment at Elgin Park on Monday. Elgin Park is one of 10 Moose Jaw parks that will be home to the city's playground program for six weeks this summer.